Refrigerating apparatus



Oct. 18,v 1949. L. A. PHILIPP 2,485,066

' REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 19, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

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Oct. 18, 1949. L. A. PHILIPP REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 19, 1947 IDZ Patented Oct. 18, 1949 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Lawrence A. Phiiipp, Detroit,.Mlch., assignor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, corporation of Maryland Detroit, Mich., a

, Application September 19, 1947, Serial No. 774,960

' 3 Claims. (01. 62-116) This invention relates generally to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to household refrigerators.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement of refri crating apparatus units for more emciently cooling a refrigerant condensing element of the apparatus.

Another object of the invention resides in an improved arrangement in a refrigerator to provide for ready removal of a refrigerant condensing element as a unitary structure from a refri erator cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement in a refrigerator of a flue and condensing element to facilitate assembly of the refrigerator.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view partly broken away, of a household refrigerator, embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the refrigerator, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, partly'in section and partly in elevation of the refrigerator, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; v

Fig. 4 is a horizontal view partly in section and partly in elevation of the refrigerator, taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary detail view of the refrigerator, taken along the line 5-5 of Fig.4; and,

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatical view of the refrigeralting system of the refrigerator.

Referring to the drawings, the refrigerator shown is of the household type having a cabinet,

' designated generally by the numeral 20. The cabinet 20 may comprise, in general, a sheet metal casing 22 and a sheet metal liner 2!. Heat insulation 26 is preferably interposed between the casing 22 and the liner 14 to decrease heat leakage into the interior of the cabinet. In the front of the cabinet 20, an access opening to the interior thereof may be closed by a single door II which may extend substantially the full height of the cabinet, as shown.- This door 3. may be hung on one side of the cabinet II by suitable hinges 32. The cabinet 20 has a food storage compartment 84 and may have a secondfood storage compartment 36 below the 2 compartment 86, separated by a common horizontal partition 38. The partition as may be supported on the cabinet side walls by brackets '"or by other suitable means,

A cooling element or refrigerant evaporator 50 is provided for cooling compartments 34 and ll. 'Iihis evaporator 40 may be arranged to cool the compartment principally by gravity air circulation and may be suspended from the underside of the cabinet top wall by hanger brackets 42. Any suitable type of evaporator may be used and arranged in any suitable manner to cool the compartments 34 a d 36.

A fresh vege able bin 43 in the storage compartment 36 has a front panel 44 closing the front of the high humidity compartment 38 provided with an inrturned peripheral flange 4B. This bin flange 46 cooperates with the partition ll to separate compartments 34 and 38 from each other. but the front of the bin and the rear edge of the partition 38 are respectively spaced from the door and cabinet rear walls to restrict air circulation between compartments so that compartment 38 will have a higher humidity than compartment 34.

The evaporator 50 shown is of the so-called U- shape type of evaporator which is formed of sheet material providing a refrigerant passage 54 therebetween including a header SI, and an accumuiator 58. The front of the evaporator 50 may be closed by an access door 60. Immediately behind the evaporator 50, the cabinet rear wall is'provided with an opening for removal of the evaporator 50, from the rear of the cabinet the opening being closed by a closure member or removable wall section 61. Below the evaporator III, a number of spaced shelves 2 may be provided in the food storage compartment which are preferably made of wire to allow substantially unrestricted circulation of air throughout the food storage compartment 34.

The cabinet 20 has a machinery compartment 62, which is located immediately behind the high humidity compartment 36, adjacent the bottom of the cabinet. This machinery compartment 62 may be formed in part by downwardly extended sides 84 of the cabinet casing 22 and by a lower inclined rear wall portion It of the cabinet. As shown, the cabinet lower, rear wall portion 88 is inclined downwardly and forwardly from the cabinet rear wallto Join the cabinet bottom wall adjacent the front of the cabir net and thus is a common partition between the food storage compartment 58 and the machinery compartment 62. However, the rear 3 of the cabinet 28 may be recessed or be otherwise constructed to provide the machinery compartment 82. In order to facilitate assembly and/or disassembly of the refrigerator, I provide a removable unit therefor comprising, in general, a supporting member 88 and a refrigerant condensing element; the latter including a motor-compressor unit 18 and a refrigerant condenser coil 12. The refrigerant condensing element is carried or supported by the supporting member 88. This supporting member comprises, in general, a horizontal motor-compressor supporting base I8 and an upright, condenser supporting and-flue member 18. When assembled with the cabinet 28, the motorcompressor unit I8 is disposed within the machinery compartment 82 andthe upright supporting or flue member 18 overlies the machinery compartment and a lower portion of the cabinet rear wall. The condenser supporting and flue member I8 may be made of sheet metal having opposite sides 18 provided with outtumed flanges 88 for attachment to the cabinet outer casing by screws 82. The sides 18 of the flue member 18 space the panel proper of the flue member 18 from the cabinet rear wall to provide a passage up through which air flows to carry away the heat of condensation of the refrigerant from the machinery compartment 82. The condenser coil 12, preferably in sinuous form, is attached to the inner surface of the flue member 18 in the path of the updraft through the flue passage. Cement or other suitable securing means may be used to attach the condenser 12 securely to the inner wall surface of the flue member 18. The sheet metal flue member I8 may be made more rigid by forming it with a number ofspaced, horizontally extending beads or ribs 11. In addition to being cooled by the air passing upwardly through the flue passage, the condenser coil 12 is cooled by transfer of its heat by conduction to the flue member 18 which presents a large, exterior heat dissipating surface to atmosphere.

Along its lower edge, the flue member 18 may be provided with an inturned, reinforcing flange 84 which is preferably further reinforced by an angle member 88.- The angle member 88, fitting I complementary with the flanged lower edge of the flue member I8 may extend substantially entirely across the width of the flue member and may be welded or be otherwise suitably secured thereto. The motor-compressor supporting base ll includes a pair of laterally spaced, horizontal supporting members 88 having rear end portions thereof seating on and secured. such as by welding. tothe horizontal leg of the flue reinforcing angle member 88. Forward end portions of the supporting members 88 seat on and may be welded to a cross member 88 having spaced, angularly disposed ties 92 which may have their upper ends secured, such as by welding, to the flue member proper between two adjacent runs of the sinuous, refrigerant condenser coil 12. A number of radially extending, spaced feet 98, rigidly secured to the motor-compressor unit 18, rest on helical coil springs 88 which seat on the base supporting members 88- and resiliently support the motorcompressor unit thereon. These helical springs 88 may respectively surround bolts 88 on which nuts may be drawn down against the feet to limit vertical movement of the motor-compressor unit on the springs 96. The bolts 88 may have heads 88 secured, as by welding, to the base members 88. The cabinet 28 has an open framework base I88 provided with raised horizontally disposed ribs I 82 on which the motor-compressor base members 88 seat and to which the base members may be held down by removable attaching means, such as, screws I88. Spaced angle members I88 may besecured such as by welding to the underside of the basesupporting members 88 having each a depending leg apertured to receive the screws I88 which screwthread into the base rear rib I82. By removing the screws I88 and the screws 82 which attach the flue member 18 to the cabinet rear wall, it will be seen that the condensing element and the flue member 18 may be readily detached, as a unit, from the cabinet 28.. Liquid refrigerant is supplied from the condenser 12 to the evaporator 88 through a flow control, preferably a capillary tube I88, and after passing through the evaporator 88 returns as gaseous refrigerant through a return conduit I88 to the motor-compressor unit 18 to be compressed and returned through a conduit 8 to the condenser I2. As shown in Fig. 8, a portion of the capillary tube I88 is preferably attached in good heat transfer relationship to the refrigerant return conduit I88 whereby to cool the. refrigerant passing through the capillary tube.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that I have provided an improved arrangement of condensing element and flue member so that these elements are detachable from the cabinet as a unit. This arrangement together with the removable evaporator makes it possible to remove readily the entire system from the cabinet without disconnecting any conduits, and this arrangement also facilitates assembly of refrigerators. In addition, I have provided an improved arrangement of condenser coil and flue to increase efliciency in the dissipating of the heat ofcondensation of the refrigerant by attaching the condenser on thelarge inner surface of the flue in the path of air flow therethrough and also in good heat transfer relationship with the flue member. Furthermore, I have provided an improved refrigerator of a character to facilitate its assembly by mounting the condensing element on the flue so that these devices as a unit may be assembled with the cabinet as a final assembly operation.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet having a cooling compartment and having a machinery compartment formed in part by an inclined wall. a removable flue member overlying and in part forming a wall of said machinery compartment,

said inclined wall and said flue member converg-' ing upwardly to effect a flue action, a refrigerant evaporator arranged to absorb heat from said cooling compartment and removable through an opening in a rear wall of said cabinet, a refrigerant motor-compressor unit in said machinery compartment operatively connected to said evaporator, and a refrigerant condenser operatively connected to said evaporator and to said motorcompressor unit and being carried by said removable flue member and terminating below said opening in said rear wall.

2. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet having a cooling compartment and a machinery compartment, a wall member spaced from a wall of said cabinet in overlying relation to said machinery compartment forming an upwardly tapering flue inducing flow of heat away from said machinery compartment, a refrigerant evaporator arranged to absorb heat from said cooling compartment, a refrigerant motor-compressor unit in said machinery compartment operatively connected to said evaporator, and a refrigerant condenser operatively connected to said motorcompressor unit and to said evaporator mounted on said wall member and extending above said motor-compressor unit but terminating with said wall member substantially below the top wall of the cabinet.

3. In refrigerating apparatus, a, cabinet having a cooling compartment and a machinery compartment having an inclined wall, a refrigerant evaporator arranged to absorb heat from said cooling compartment, a flue member overlying said machinery compartment forming an upwardly tapering flue with said inclined wall to induce air flow through said machinery compartment, a refrigerant motor compressor unit in said machinery compartment operatively connected to said refrigerant evaporator and carried by said flue member and a refrigerant condenser carried by said flue member operatively connected to said refrigerant evaporator and to said m'otor-com-- pressor unit and extending above said motorcompressor unit but terminating with said flue The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,161,297 Hull June 6, 1939 2,433,187

Alsing Dec. 23, 1947 

